Morung Express News
KOHIMA/INTANGKI | JULY 23
Even after the Zeliangrong Students’ Union started its agitation over the encroachment in the Intangki Forest, the state government is moving at a snail pace in evicting the encroachers. While the NSCN-IM has reportedly resolved to protect the Forest from encroachers at any cost in one of its council meeting, the state government has constituted a Committee headed by the state chief secretary to investigate the issue.
The Zeliangrong Students’ Union Nagaland and All Zeliangrong Students’ Union on January 9 this submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding for the immediate eviction of the encroachers and thereafter, series of agitations has been launched in the form of bandh in Peren and dharna in the state capital Kohima.
After the agitated Zeliangrong Students’ Union demand for resignation of its two MLAs from the Nagaland State Legislative Assembly, and its top leaders in the underground set up, the NSCN-IM faction has reportedly called a consultative meeting to assured the Zeliangrong people that the forest will be protected at any cost.
It was learnt that in one of its Council meeting, which was attended by the Collective leadership, the NSCN-IM has passed a resolutions for the protection of the forest. However, the Zeliangrong people are keeping their finger cross as to whether this resolution will really come into force or is just a sop offer to the aggrieved Zeliangrong people to assuage their agitation over the issue.
Mention may be made here that even in the later part of 1994, the NSCN-IM had issued a shot at sight order inside the forest in its efforts to protect the forest and its resource, however, after a short stint it became a dead letter and encroachers return. “We are happy over the NSCN-IM assurance, but they should meant it”, Dennis Elunlung, President Zeliangrong Baudi (Hoho) said.
The state government has also constituted a Committee headed by Chief Secretary, Lalhuma, and the Committee has visited the forest along with the district administration and the department officials on two occasions this month, the last one on July 20 for spot verification, however, so far nothing has been initiated from the state government side to evict the encroachers.
Sources alleged that some officials of the forest department are acting as obstacles in the eviction process, and are patronizing with the encroachers. Ironically, there are as many 415 ‘chicken shed’ type thatch dwellings inside the forest, but population figure reads only 187, out of which 150 are male, 28 female and only 3 children.
Official of the district administration, who was also form part of the investigating team, on condition of anonymity, said that the small thatch dwellings were built to appear as if the encroachers are well established and good number in populations. Officials also further disclosed that on the day of their visit, the encroachers brought some people from Dimapur to let their number appear more the visiting investigating team.
.jpg)
